Crikey! I've only owned a Fusion for a couple of days and now you've got me worried! Actually, I'm not worried - or should I say that I'm no more worried than I'd be if I was driving any other car. You see, I'm well aware that other makes suffer from this problem too, and although "two wrongs don't make a right" I think this is a source of reassurance to me. For instance, some years ago my VW camper needed two new front springs at a routine service in a non-franchised garage. They'd both snapped clean in half but miraculously hadn't affected the handling or (mercifully) caused punctures. I had noticed nothing untoward. The mechanics said it was metal fatigue and was "just one of those things" and that they had to replace springs more often than you would think possible. (It wasn't a cheap fix either. ) Call me Lucky if you will, but I also suffered a broken OSF spring on a Peugeot 306 too. :( I hope that Storm and the others here get satisfaction from the garage, but I must say that I'm with Russ when he says that springs just break sometimes and this is not necessarily a manufacturing defect. I agree that quite a few Ford owners have reported this problem, but then so have owners of other makes. There's a good discussion here (on Honest John's Technical forum) and I see one or two of our members have contributed to it. I shall keep an eye on things, that's for sure, and thanks for this interesting discussion.

My longest drive was an occasional 502 miles trip from Pompey to "somewhere in Scotland" when I was serving in the Royal Navy. As a biker, I did the Lands End to John o' Groats (and back) challenge. We went two-up on a 500cc super-scooter, endeavouring NOT to use M-ways at all if we could help it. I depended on Geraldine (my trusty Garmin GPS) and we traveled 2088 miles overall and were on the road for a total of 39.5 hours (I kept a log). We took our time and limited the daily legs to no more than about 300 miles at a time so we could enjoy the scenery and the lovely Scottish roads (more or less traffic free!). It rained every day.

I think that using your front fogs is only sensible if it helps the driver to see better in certain conditions. Rear fogs, obviously, are there to guard your bum from those idiots who drive too quickly in the poor conditions for them to stop in time if you have to slow/stop for any reason. People who turn them on and then forget about them when conditions improve can and cause untold harm by constantly blinding those behind them. Potentially nasty, if only because their brightness can conceal brake lights from said blinded drivers! I wish drivers would THINK, dammit! In contrast (bad pun, sorry ), using normal dipped headlights in daylight is as much to draw your attention to other road users as it is to help you to see. Whether or not this is proved scientifically to help is immaterial now and not worth arguing about, surely. The fact is that if most drivers do this, then those who do not switch on will disappear in the gloom and simply won't be seen so readily. All or nothing, it seems to me! As a biker, I am pleased that nearly all bikes now have to have their lights on permanently, removing rider preference from the equation. It doesn't matter whether or not we agree to this. The fact is that anybody who can claim to see the one 'lights off' bike in a line of well-lit traffic without really looking for him - and sadly most car drivers do not really look for bikers - is fibbing! And yes, I agree with those who say that driving with low-level front fogs on when conditions don't demand it is irritating, unnecessarily blinding and soooooo uncool! Hurrumph! ;)

This is my first post (apart from the ones in the 'New members' section. Hello folks! My 'new' Sea Grey Fusion is a 2006 Zetec Climate 1.6 Auto with black leather upholstery. I swapped my wife's Honda Jazz for it just a few days ago and got a great deal. The Fusion is an ex Motability car with fsh and only 20k on the clock and, so far, I'm absolutely delighted with it. It's immaculate. As I've said elsewhere, I'm a very tall, 6'7" bloke yet have loads of room in this car without causing those behind me to feel squashed (and this is amazing since I have a tall family too). I like the slightly easier entry and exit because I carry my ancient parents around with me sometimes. I enjoy the decent levels of acceleration (which can also be quite 'spirited'!), more than adequate performance, acceptable mpg (just) and the smooth gearshifts. I like the handling (hardly surprising since it has Fiesta roots) and the equipment level is pretty darned good too. All in all, my impressions after just a few days' ownership are entirely positive, which believe me is a Good Thing! (Have you seen my wife! ) What next? Well, first off I want to install a bluetooth handsfree kit to replace my Parrot Minikit - or rather I will get one professionally installed. I've ordered some mats and a load liner from ebaY .... and that's about it. The sound system is more than good enough for me (I quite like it as it is) and the alloys are smart and in excellent nick so no need for a change there either. I have no need of after-market body kits (been there, done that, still got the bills for the breakages ...) but I might look into upgrading the headlights somehow because I am underwhelmed by the main beam. What do folk here recommend? Better bulbs? Driving lamps? Specsavers? I see that this part of the forum is relatively new and is a bit quiet in comparison with some of the other areas. That's understandable in view of the relatively low Fusion sales figures I suppose, but I'm hoping that it will chug along nicely and am sure it'll be a nice place to visit in the coming months and years... Must go. I haven't returned the rear seats to their normal positions after going to the tip this morning. I was delighted to be able to carry: a large TV, PC and printer, large (broken) leather office chair, an old packing crate and an old bookcase all in one trip. I can see I'm going to like this beastie! Safe roads! ;)

Thanks for the welcome. ^_^ I'm very pleased with the 'new' car. I'm 6'7" tall yet have loads of room in the Fusion's driving position. No complaints so far, though I would have liked a more detailed guide to the stereo system (6000CD) because the user guide doesn't answer loads of questions such as "What does the BT setting mean?" and "Where will I find the audio IN socket if I am lucky enough to have one?" [Yes, I know ... I have already done a search but have had no joy yet...... ] I've ordered some new mats and a load liner from ebaY so will be happier to let my dog in the back when they arrive. He's a mucky Cocker Spaniel and isn't a respecter of fine motors. I shall probably get a bluetooth handsfree kit installed because my Parrot Minikit, as good as it is, gets in my way when it's clipped to the visor - believe it or not I bash my head on the control knob every time I reach down to insert/remove the ignition keys. So far so good. Cheers!

Hello. I'll be collecting my 'new' Fusion Zetec Climate 1.6 Auto this afternoon and have been looking around for some sort of support system. I'm delighted to have found this site. I'm not a Young Un and have owned numerous Fords over the years, starting with a 1963 Anglia, a '68 Corsair and including an Escort Mk2 and a couple of Fiestas. That said, I'm not the most technically minded of blokes so to be able to share thoughts with you is bound to be a Good Thing. I live near Waterlooville down in Sunny Hampshire. I am an early retiree owing to ill health but am recovering nicely after radiotherapy. I aim to get some miles in using my new toy and would love to hear from any other Fusion owners through this forum. ... and why on earth have the Americans used the name 'Fusion' for one of their models? It's nothing like ours! Maybe they were just cashing in on a 'successful' model's reputation? Who knows? Safe roads! Keith ;)